Love, Hate and Lies
by Hershey-chan
Summary: The last thing Cindy needed was to have to go back to Woodcrest. Back to more lies, more hell, more endless drama, and worst of all, back to Riley Freeman. Cindy x Riley, some Huey x Jaz Lame title, I know...
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This story is OOOOOLD. It's been AGES since I first wrote this story (The first two chapters are on the Boondocks forum(all the way back in '06!! O.O)), and I don't know why I waited till 2010 to finish it, but I just want to get this idea out of my head before I catch writer's block…again. xD**_

_**I don't own the Boondocks. All I own is the plot for this sorry excuse for a fanfic and the few OCs in it. LOL. **_

_**Read and enjoy! =3**_

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Summary:

The last thing Cindy needed was to have to go back to Woodcrest. Back to more lies, more hell, more endless drama, and worst of all, back to Riley Freeman. [Cindy x Riley, some Huey x Jaz]

--

_**I know a lot of people aren't fans of OCs, but one of them plays a crucial in the story. The others are just there to make you laugh.**_

Original Character Profiles:

Anita Gonzalez (17) – A Mexican girl in Huey's class. Her high, shrill voice and preppy clothes make her the definition of annoying. She has a mad crush on Caesar and always seems to know where he is at all times and has a VERY bad habit of showing up unannounced. Caesar tries his best to stay away from her, but he always fails. Can you say "stalker'"?

Tori Robinson (20) - Ed Wuncler III's girlfriend and teacher at Woodcrest High. She may appear sweet, but under that goody-two-shoes image she is just as loud, brash and obscene as her boyfriend, if not worse. She has always carries a gun around in her purse, making her known as the "white Madea."

LaQuisha "Peaches" Hammond (17) – A family friend of the Freemans. She's big and very proud of her size. She's very big-hearted, friendly and easy to talk to….as long as you don't call her fat. Other than Jazmine, she's one of the few people Cindy can actually trust.

Daneisha Wells (17) – Riley's current girlfriend, one of the most popular girls at Woodcrest High. She values her popularity and will easily take out anyone who tries to intimidate her or her man.

---

_**Next: Chapter One!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: The first two chapters of this story are at least two years old, and they were written WAY before season two even came out, so sorry in advance if anyone seems out of character, especially Cindy.**_

_**This story WAS going to be primarily Huey/Jaz, rated M and all, but there are already enough stories like that, and most of them are WAY better than this one will ever be, lol. Plus, I'm a HUGE Cindy/Riley fan—apparently one out of a few =o –so I wanted to experiment with it, so hopefully I can do it justice. =]**_

_**Again, I don't own the Boondocks. XD**_

_**-Cracks knuckles- All right, here goes….**_

Chapter One

Woodcrest. Your average town with friendly people who went to good schools and lived normal, peaceful lives, right? WRONG. I don't know what Woodcrest you're thinking of, but THIS Woodcrest was about as far away from "peaceful" as you could get. And in the heart of this little suburb was Woodcrest High School, the not-so-peaceful school that was the very reason that white people—with common sense—lived as far away from there as humanly possible. And even as time passed, Woodcrest and the people that lived there still remained about the same as they had always been.

RING!

8:45 A.M

Yet another day at Woodcrest High School got off to a start.

**Advisory**

"All right now, settle down, everybody. Time to call role. My name is Tori Robinson. Mr. Petto is out, so I'll be your substitute teacher for today." A curvaceous German lady with long curly brown hair and blue eyes walked into the classroom of full of loud-talking students just after the bell rang. She had a rather sweet-sounding tone of voice and her impression had "little-miss-nice-girl" written all over it. However, the students continued to talk like they didn't hear her.

She cleared her throat and spoke a little louder, this time more sternly.

"I said settle down, now. It's time to call role."

Obviously, no one was listening to her because one kid had thrown a huge spitball across the room and it ended up landing in some girl's hair, and the students surrounding her continued to talk.

The lady, unfortunately, had a short temper and reached inside her purse and pulled out a pistol. This time she didn't even bother to try to act nice anymore.

A loud gunshot was heard and everybody shut up.

"GODDAMN IT, I SAID SETTLE DOWN!!! THE NEXT PERSON I HEAR TALKIN' IS GETTIN' THEIR MOTHERFUCKIN' BRAINS BLOWN OUT!! YOU HEAR ME!!!"

Well, so much for "little-miss-nice-girl.

Making sure that everyone was quiet, she cleared her throat and reverted back to her sweet tone of voice.

"Okay, everyone now I'm going to go over the role. If mispronounce your name, it just means I love ya, mmkay?" She smiled.

The whole class sat there, with their jaws dropped. This woman had just gone from little-miss-nice-girl to evil-bitch-with-a-gun and back to little-miss-nice-girl in five seconds flat. Was this bitch schizophrenic or what?

"Okay here goes." She took a piece of paper from the top of her desk and squinted before reading off,

"Michael Caesar?"

"That's my name."

Tori looked up to see a rather tall black boy with long dreadlocks. He wore a yellow T-shirt with a picture of Tupac on it, dark blue jeans, and plain white Adidas. He was half-Jamaican and his Brooklyn accent was very apparent.

"Okay then, Caesar. Nice to meet you. All right, next is Jazmine Dubois?"

"Present."

Jazmine was relatively fair-skinned and had yellow-orange hair tied in a low ponytail. Her hair was permed-much to Huey's dismay—so she looked more like Mariah Carey and less like Kelis. She wore a camouflage Hello Kitty T-shirt with black jeans and dark green slide-ins. Sure her looks changed a bit, but one thing about her never changed. Her emerald green eyes gleamed in the light and were fixed on the one man that she loved ever since she laid eyes on him. She loved him before she even knew what love was. This man could make her heart stop by just looking at her. This man was…

"Huey Freeman?"

"Here."

There he was, the man behind the name, the "black revolutionary" himself, Huey Freeman. Sporting his trademark afro and wearing his normal burgundy hoodie, blue jeans and white sneakers, he had his nose in another book about "great Black leaders," and responded without looking up, completely oblivious to the fact that Jazmine was watching him. He was always oblivious of Jazmine. Half the time she had to yell his name just to get him to notice her. He was so focused on 'changing the world' and being the next Malcolm X he never had time to talk to anybody. For years, she had been trying to win his affections, and every time she came close to telling him how she felt, something always happened or he always brushed her off to the side. His strength, his determination, everything about him made her melt. But she was starting to lose hope. She had never once seen him act once affectionate toward anybody. But what could a future black leader see in a naïve, mixed girl like Jazmine? But regardless of the way he treated her, she loved him like nothing else. And then there were people she couldn't stand…like his brother…

"Riley Freeman?"

"Yo, dat's me, nigga. And the name's 'Esco.' Get it right."

Riley had grown a little since he was eight. Hell, he'd grown a LOT since he was eight. At fifteen, was just as tall as his brother (both were 6'1). This boy, tall and buff, was the complete reverse of his brother. He sported an open, red button-down shirt over a white tank top that showed off his physique along with baggy blue jeans that made it quite apparent that he wore boxers. He topped it off with his dark brown cornrows done up in some crazy zigzag design along with red and white Air force Ones.

He was literally the 'Don Juan' of Woodcrest, and the girls loved and treated him like a god.

Tori raised an eyebrow, quite interested in his nickname. "'Esco," huh?"

But he was still that brash, impatient, perverted, slang-talking, gangster wannabe he was when he was seven years ago.

"GodDAMN!!" he said standing up. "Can't you understand the words that's comin' out my mouth?! Yeah, it's "Esco!!" ESCO!!! E-S-…uh…K…um…aw, fuck it!!! Why a nigga gotta be repeating himself anyway?! Man, I can't stand you hoes, actin like ya can't hear a nigga!!!"

But he was no match for Tori. She ran up on him, and took out that pistol and out faster than you could blink.

"What the FUCK did you just call me? Boy, you don't know me like that! YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!! I'M the boss up in this bitch!! I run this shit!" She put the gun to his head. "You wanna try sayin' that again? Huh?! I dare ya! I double dare ya! Call me a ho again! CALL ME A HO AGAIN!!! Your head and this pistol gon' get REAL well acquainted…!!!"

"Damn, you ain't gotta be getting all defensive and shit!" said Riley, sitting down and waving her off, knowing he was no match for a crazy-ass white lady with a gun. " I was just sayin'—"

She cut him off. "Whatever, nigga." She said going back to her desk.

Going back to calling role in her little-miss-nice-girl voice, she read.

"Anita Gonzalez?"

"Heeeeeere!"

Half the class and Tori herself had to cover their ears on account of the shrill, Mexican accented voice.

Tori uncovered her ears and looked over to see a tan skinned girl with long, wavy jet-black hair and hazel eyes. She wore a hot pink T-shirt with the word "HOLLISTER" printed in yellow letters across the front. A blue-jean micro-mini skirt and pink flip-flops completed her look. Needless to say, she was a total prep. And on top of that she was making goo-goo eyes at Caesar, who shot her a look that said "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!!". Obviously, she didn't get the message.

"Ummm…ok…" Tori was at a loss for words for words for a good minute for she had never seen such preppiness since N'Sync. And quite frankly, she didn't want to see it again.

"Um last is…uh"—she struggled to pronounce it correctly—"Hiro Otomo? Hiro Otomo? Did I get that right?"

"Hai."

A tall Asian boy took the earphones from his ears and ran his hands through his long, black, wavy hair and revealed his pale face. Wearing a black T-shirt featuring the J-Rock band L'arc~en~ciel and blasting "READY STEADY GO!!" through the speakers, he put them back in his ears and rocked his head to the beat after speaking.

"Wow, how wonderful!" squealed Tori. "Well, what are we all waiting for?! Please take out your textbooks and let's learn!"

The whole class groaned.

"Whoopee," Riley said with a sarcastic grin. "Sittin' in class with some stupid-ass white bitch. What fun!"

And you KNOW Tori heard him.

"THAT'S IT!!! GET TO THE PRINCIPAL!!!" She demanded.

Riley scowled. "Make me, ho."

"OH, HELL NO! YOUR ASS IS GRASS NOW!"

She jumped over the desk and pulled out that pistol. (I told you that bitch had a short temper!)

"Oh, SHIT!!" Riley fled from his seat and was out of there faster than Speedy Gonzalez.

Tori ran right after him, and multiple gunshots were heard from the hallway. Riley dodged the bullets easily, yelling,

"Ay!! That's a hate crime! I'ma call Johnnie Cochran on yo' ass!!"

Huey rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath.

"Dumbass."

---

"…But dad, I don't wanna transfer! I liked it better at my OLD school!" Cindy McPhearson's voice echoed off the walls off Woodcrest High as a husky White man with a bushy moustache dragged his complaining daughter into the front office.

"You're transferring. End of story." His deep, stern voice put an end to all her whining. "Besides, you'll like it here at Woodcrest. You'll meet new people, make new friends, it'll be fun! And plus I have all your paperwork done so you ain't goin' nowhere!"

Cindy groaned. "But dad...!"

"No buts," he said sternly.

All further protests were cut off as a short, dumpy lady with curly red hair came in said in a nasally voice,

"Matthew McPhearson? Your daughter's schedule is ready. Classes don't start until 9:15, so she have to wait in here until then."

"Good," he said, taking it from her and handing it to Cindy. "Well, I got to get to work. Have a great first day here!" He kissed her on the forehead and ran out the door.

"Dad…!!"

He was already out the door and the sound of a car starting and speeding off confirmed that.

She pouted and took a seat. "Hmmph!"

She put her head back and stared at the clock. 8:53. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like eternity.

She let herself drift into a reverie, erasing this office, this school, everything. Why couldn't it just be like the old days?

***

The image of a boring school office slowly morphed into a picture of a ten-year-old girl running through an open doorway, crying her little heart out.

"Mommy!" she wailed, wiping her tears on her red jacket. A blond woman came into sight and knelt down and embraced the girl.

"They hate me, mom!" The little girl sniffled. "They beat me up and called me bad names! Especially that Riley Freeman! He called me a 'cracker' and a 'honkee' and kicked dirt in my face! I swear, mommy, I HATE him!"

"Don't say those things, Cindy. Don't you pay any mind to those kids, honey. You don't need them. Besides, you have me!" She picked up her weeping daughter and swung her around in circles until she finally stifled a giggle. Her mother always knew how to alleviate her.

"I love you, mom," said the little girl. The blond woman simply smiled. "I love you too, Cindy. And remember, no matter what those kids call you, you'll always be my little princess."

Cindy giggled. "Mom, I hope you're with me forever and ever!"

"…forever and ever …"

"…forever and ever …"

"…forever and ever …"

Those words echoed in her head. That little girl didn't know how wrong she was…

A flash of lightning lit up the stormy night as multiple sirens and claps of thunder flooded her ears. Policeman ran around frantically. Dozens of firemen finished up exterminating an immense fire. The smoke cleared, and Matthew McPhearson was seen standing a few yards away staring sadly at the scene. Their car was a complete burnt-up wreck. The front had a huge dent and the front bumper was missing altogether. It was complete evidence of a head-on collision. And on top of that, the bastards that rammed into them drove off, not even bothering to see if anyone was okay. Between the two police cars and the huge ambulance truck, he could barely make out several men hauling a body out of what was left of the car, into a blue bag, and to the back of the ambulance truck.

Twelve-year-old Cindy clung to her father's arm tightly while trying to hold her umbrella to block the rain, which beat down on them relentlessly. "Dad, where's mom?"

Matthew, who sadly realized what happened, didn't answer. He turned to Cindy and said, "She's just going to the hospital for a little visit. Come on, get in the car."

The whole ride to the hospital was silent. Cindy gazed out of the window trying to grasp what happened.

Cindy sat in the waiting room, lightly tapping her fingernails on the wooden desk. The sound of the ticking clock made her nervousness skyrocket. She didn't understand anything that was going on. Her father sat beside her, staring down at his hands with a guilty look on his face. An almost unseen tear slipped down his cheek.

The doctor came in.

"Matthew McPhearson, I have the results of your mother's condition."

Cindy jumped up, eager to know how her mother was doing.

"What's wrong with mom? Where's mom?! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO MOM!! Tell me she's alive! TELL ME SHE'S OKAY!!!" She screamed, ignorant to the tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, but…" He began to bow his head.

Her eyes widened for she already knew what he was going to say. Those four words that would scar her for life:

"Your mother is dead."

Cindy felt her knees get weak as she tried to contain herself. She let herself fall onto the linoleum floor, hitting her head with a loud thud. It hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the pain inside. Her mother, her role model, her best friend, was dead and there was nothing she could do about it.

"No…" She choked on her tears, refusing to accept it.

"She was already in critical condition when she got here. We did everything we could to try to save her, but…it was her time."

Matthew bowed his head and shed another tear. He pulled Cindy into his arms and she let it all out. Her pain, her sorrow, her anger, everything came out in hard sobs as she buried her face in his chest.

"God…what did I do?! " She swore at the sky. "WHAT DID I DO FOR YOU TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME?! SHE WAS MY BEST FRIEND!! AND YOU…"

She couldn't continue. Her emotions got the best of her.

"Shhhh, Cindy," Matthew tried to comfort her. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be fine."

"I hope so, dad." She whispered. "I hope so."

But she knew in her heart it wasn't gonna be okay. Nothing would ever be the same.

***

A loud clap of thunder snapped her back to reality, the present.

Cindy had changed so much since her mother's death. As much as she loved her dad, she wanted her mother back more than anything in the world.

She still had that blond hair and blue eyes. However, her hair was braided halfway to the back of her head, and the rest was cropped short into a bob, and the right side was longer than the left. And all her preppiness? Out the door. She discarded everything that reminded her of her preppy past.

She felt so uncomfortable in her skin-tight red T-shirt that said "*Superstar*" in yellow cursive letters. She tugged at it constantly for it never seemed to fit right. The shirt showed off her midriff that featured the belly ring she got a few weeks ago. Her ripped jeans faded from deep indigo at the belt loops to pale blue at the end of the leg. She topped her new look off with red, worn converses, and black nail polish, a spiked bracelet on both wrists and a black mesh choker. She was sort of a mix between "gangsta" and "emo."

She stared at the clock. 9:13. She was just about to let herself get lost in another flashback when a tall boy burst through the door, and crashed and flipped over the desk, tripped over the chair and landed on his face with a loud thud. A tall white lady with curly brown hair followed him.

She knew that face from anywhere. And, oh, how she hated it with a passion. Riley Freeman, the boy that called her all those bad names. That boy who kicked dirt in her face. He looked a bit different from the last time she'd seen him. But no matter how much he'd 'supposedly' changed, he would always be that cruel little boy in her eyes. And by the looks of it, that 'little boy' hadn't matured much.

"Ay, Miss Johnson! This bitch is tryin' to kill me!! Somebody call the po' po's on her ass!!"

"Mr. Freeman, sit down," said the short, dumpy lady. "What did he do this time, Mrs. Robinson?" she said. Tori walked in, calm and collected, putting on her little-miss-nice-girl show.

"Hello, Miss Johnson. Riley here has been blatantly disrupting my class, and I think he needs some time out.

"Say no more," said the short lady. "I'll go find a D-Hall room that'll take him. Take a seat, Mr. Freeman."

"But…!" He protested.

"TAKE A SEAT, MR. FREEMAN." She said with more firmness. She turned left muttering. "God, why can't he be more like his brother…?"

As soon as she was out of sight, he began to mock her.

"'Why can't he be more like his brother…?'"—He sounded just like her—"Stupid bitch… Man, this is some ol' bullshi-…DAAAAMN!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two 

Cindy was mentally shaken from her daze to see a certain cornrowed boy leaning over her and staring at her with pure lechery. He was so close; she could feel him breathing on her, and it sent a slight chill down her spine. He made it worse by leaning into the crook of her neck, softly brushing his lips against her trembling jawbone and seductively whispering, "Aye, shawty, how 'bout you gimme that name?" This boy was bold.

But Cindy was bolder. "How bout NO?" Cindy shot back, violently pushing him away, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards on his ass.

(A/N: Cindy is one stupid bitch. Had he been on ME like that, I'd be all over him like white on rice! …And you would be too, so don't deny it! XD)

"Aye, why you gotta be mean?" said Riley, dusting off his pants and getting up. "I'm just tryna be nice to you."

"Well, don't…Riley," Cindy said coldly. As she got up to leave, the bell rang.

"Damn, you's a feisty one," said Riley, taking a perfect opportunity to glance at her ass as she walked out the door. "And a thick one at that. DAMN, I gotta get at you! …Hey, wait a minute…how'd you know my name?"—He paused and smirked—"Well, then again how can you NOT know my name? I'm Riley F. Escobar, the certified pimp of Woodcrest High School—!"

"Kiss my 'certified' ass," She scowled.

"Why you gotta be so damn mean to a nigga?! Show a nigga some fuckin' love for cryin' out loud! See, dat 's why I don't even deal wit y'all hoes no mo'! Y'all wanna bitch and complain about how niggas ain't nice enough to ya and then ya have a fuckin' bitch fit when they try to show you some love! Man, y'all hoes are so fucked up in the head…!"

"And you wonder why we 'hoes' can't be nice to you! Maybe if YOU would stop being such an ASS and treat us ladies with respect instead of calling us 'bitches and 'hoes' maybe somebody WOULD show you some love!" Cindy roared back. "And ANOTHER thing, you've got a lot of nerve trying to play Mr.-Nice-Guy after what you did to me eight years ago!"

Riley raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talkin' about?! I don't even KNOW you. I just thought you was fine so I figured I could get at you. But since you wanna be like THAT…!"

"Wait a minute. Y-you…don't?" Cindy looked confused.

Riley shook his head.

"Good," she said with a grin. "Why don't we keep it that way?" She said as she turned and walked away.

"You know what?!" He yelled to her back. "Just forget I said anything!! You are so damn complicated! …STUPID BITCH!!!"

"Watch your language, young man."

Riley rolled his eyes and turned to see a quite annoyed Miss Johnson.

"All of the D-Hall rooms are full, so you're off the hook…for now. Now, I strongly suggest you get to class, Mr. Freeman."

Riley frowned and marched out of the office, loudly shutting the door behind him. He had a class to get to anyway.

-SLAM-

Huey shut his locker door and sighed with much frustration. He still had another five minutes before class started and it was just his luck that his advisory and first period classes were right across the hall from each other. It had only taken him a minute to get his books, and there was practically no one worth talking to in the overcrowded hallway. Caesar and Hiro's next classes were all the way on the other side of campus. Anita was just a pain in the ass; he glanced over at her, three lockers down, to see her doing her makeup in the mirror and complaining to Jazmine about how her mascara didn't match her nail polish. And Jazmine herself, well, she was okay at times. That is, when she wasn't bugging him about "not ever looking on the bright side of things" or being a "big, fat meanie."

~8~

"…Omigosh, Jazmine! This is horrible_! HORRIBLE!!" _

"What is it, Anita?" Her friend said back dully.

"Oh, this is a disaster!! My nail polish is TOTALLY not matching the rest of my outfit! My nails are blush pink, a-and my shirt is hot pink, but my mascara is ROSY pink!! I am TOTALLY not matching!" She whined. "Oh no! What if a total hottie comes and sees me like this? Or worse, yet…Caesar?! Then he'll laugh at me and I'll be totally embarrassed and then someone will put me in the Yearbook as 'worst dressed" and I'll be the laughingstock of the whole entire school…!"

Jazmine wasn't listening to a single word she said. Was it her, or did Huey seem to captivate her more and more every time she looked at him?

Huey's eyes slowly closed, as if he was in deep thought or maybe he was pissed off at someone. His eyebrows were knitted together to indicate uneasiness. What could be bothering him? She would've given anything to know. There were so many things about Huey that no one could figure out, not even his own brother and Granddad. She wanted so badly to get into his mind, to get past all that knowledge and intelligence and find the REAL Huey, to know why he acted to mean. She knew in her heart that he wasn't a jerk deep down inside. He frustrated her with the way he ignored her, he hurt her with all those comments about her being biracial, and he confused her with his view on politics and how Ronald Reagan was the devil and how Bush was the reincarnation of Hitler, but she loved him anyway.

But one could say, "love ain't always hearts and butterflies and mushy love letters." It's about caring for that significant other and loving them from the bottom of your heart, even if they hate your guts. Well, if that was love was, then she didn't care what she had to go through as long as she could get him to feel the same way about her.

"…Hey, are you even LISTENING to me?!"

Anita waved a hand dangerously close to Jazmine's face, causing the emerald-eyed girl to snap out of her daze and stumble backwards.

"Oh, uh, sorry," she said sheepishly.

"Starin' at Huey again, eh?" said a slightly ticked-off Anita. "Girl, I just don't get you sometimes. " She began to file her nails. "What the hell you see in him? I've never once seen him be nice to you. All he does is go on and on about how 'the world is such a cold and lonely place' and make you cry! He calls it 'being real'; I call it being a dick. How can you be so interested in someone who treats you like total crap?"

Jazmine pouted. "Look who's talking. Caesar doesn't even give you the time of day yet you worship him like a god."

"Uh…well, that's different," said Anita defensively. "He's just in denial." She added matter-of-factly. "He'll come to his senses…eventually. He LOOOOOOOVES me." She made goo-goo eyes at the thought of her precious little Caesar.

Jazmine rolled her eyes, mouthing "Whatever."

"Hey, I gotta get to class. Talk to you next period, mmkay?" Anita ran off and soon disappeared into the crowd before Jazmine could say anything back. She sighed and shook her head. As she did so, her eyes slowly slid back on Huey.

He took out his pick and ran it through his afro before putting it back in his back pocket and glancing at his watch and leaving.

Using her arm for support, Jazmine leaned against her locker, lost in her own little dream of her and Huey together on a beach holding hands and watching the sun set. It was almost pitiful how deep her love was for such a pessimistic Afro-wearing boy…

RING!!!

She was so startled by the sudden bell that her hand slipped and…

-CLANG!-

The side of her head rammed into her locker.

Huey winced and turned and looked over his shoulder to see Jazmine, who was now playing it off with a meek, but guilty grin.

"Uhhhh…hi, Huey!" She said with a nervous laugh. "Um, nice day, isn't it?"

"Hey, Jazmine," he said in his normal tired voice. It didn't have that whine like it did when he was ten. It was clearer, deeper and smoothed out. He took one look at Jazmine, raised an eyebrow and said, "Uh, you ought to be more careful." He turned and walked away.

Jazmine sighed, mentally cursing herself for looking like a total idiot.

_Yeah, real smooth Dubois! Way to totally screw things up!! _

Noticing that she was the only one left in the hallway, she quickly hurried into class.

"Hey, wait for me!"

--

**1st Period**

"…and this is how we solve linear equations. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Okay, then turn to page 324 and do exercises 3-7. You can work with a partner if you can behave yourselves."

Jazmine chewed on the end of her pencil and scratched her head. How was she supposed to know what a linear equation was?! Man, school was a bitch.

She glanced at Huey, who was diligently working on his assignment. God, that kid was so smart. Jazmine recognized that she was the only one without a partner, and on top of that she couldn't even get past the first question. She sighed and rested her cheek in her palm, desperately trying to figure out how the hell 3x + 15 equaled 4x - 8.

Huey got up, turned his paper in, and soon had his nose in that same book about "great Black leaders."

Why couldn't she be smart like Huey? How come she couldn't get straight A's and 4.0 GPA instead of a C average and on the verge of failing? Why couldn't SHE be the 'teacher's pet' in every class? She sulked and stared at her paper, letting her hand scribble carelessly all over her paper, drifting into yet another daze. After five minutes of careless scribbling, she came to her senses and gasped when she saw her paper. There were many messages ranging from "Jazmine luvs Huey" to "Huey and Jaz 4-Ever" surrounded in little hearts. She peeked at the object of her affection, who still had his nose in that book. She looked at the clock. 9:57. She had ten minutes before class let out and the assignment was due at the end of the period. Frustrated, she balled up the paper, threw it on the floor, and got a clean sheet of paper out. _That's IT!_ She thought. _It's now or never!! DO IT_! With that, she gathered her papers and tapped Huey on the shoulder.

"Um, Huey?" she managed to say without choking from the butterflies in her stomach.

"What is it, Jazmine?" was his response.

"Um, I was kinda wondering, um…I'm kinda confused on this one problem, and...um...can you help me?"

"No," he said flatly. "You should have been paying attention.

"B-but I was! I just…don't get it, and I can't afford another zero." She blushed with shame. "Please? Can you help me? Please??" She made the most adorable puppy dog face he'd ever seen. Jazmine's heart was practically leaped into her throat as she awaited his response. Huey sighed, shut his book and took out some paper. "All right, all right. Take a seat over here and pay attention 'cause I'm ONLY TELLING YOU ONCE." The mulatto girl happily did as she was told.

"Ok, here is your problem. 3x +15=4x –8. The first thing you do is add 8 to both sides…"

Ten minutes quickly passed and the bell rang, just in time for Jazmine to turn in her finished paper. "Thank you, Huey!" she grinned as she rushed out of the door. "Whatever," was his response. Huey gathered his books and made his way out of the door as well until…

-crunch-

Huey looked under his foot to find a balled up piece of paper. He picked it up, un-balled it and read it. Within seconds, his jaw dropped…

~8~

Cindy strolled down the empty hallway as she scanned her schedule.

It read:

-Advisory-

1st period- P. E.

2nd period- Algebra II

3rd period- English

4th period- American History

5th period- Chemistry

"Geez, where's the gym?"

She hardly knew where she was going. The least those people at the office could have done was get somebody to show her around, but NO, they had paperwork to do. The bell ringing didn't help much, either. It just let her know she was late. She sighed and quickened her pace until a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Well, ain't you juss' a purty lil' white gurl!"

Cindy jumped and turned to see a very tall, black, fat man towering over her. He wore a janitor's jumpsuit with a poorly sewn-in emblem with the words "Uncle Ruckus" scribbled on it.

"Um, who are you?"

"My name is Uncle Ruckus…no relation. I'm the janitor 'round here," his voice rasped. "And if you need some help…"

"Um, yeah, where's the gym?" She said quickly.

"Uh, down the hall to your left. Can't miss it…"

"Um, thanks, bye!" Cindy ran away as fast as her legs let her. Damn, that guy was creepy!

She finally came upon two double doors.

_Well, here goes nothing,_ she thought was she pulled them open.

The smell of old gym socks and sweat smacked her in the face as she entered her new class. Several sweaty students in white T-shirts and red shorts ran past her, panting like dogs. Some of them started to slow down until a voice thundered,

"GET A MOVE ON!! I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO SLOW DOWN!! THAT'S ANOTHER TWO LAPS, YOU SLACKERS!!" Their coach followed them. She was a tall, lean, blond woman of about forty. She was just as sweaty as her students in a black tank top and blue sweat pants.

"Can I help you?" she said, stopping and spotting Cindy. Cindy said nothing and just handed her the schedule. The woman scanned it and said,

"HALT, YOU SLACKERS! WE GOT A NEWBIE OVER HERE!!"

Almost as if strings were pulling him or her, every student stopped running and assembled around her.

Cindy took a good look at them. The majority of them were Black or Mexican and they looked quite relieved to have stopped running. She looked out of the corner of her eye and spotted a group of three girls with their hair in pigtails. One was Asian, one was Mexican, and the third was Black. They each wore a pink scrunchie around their right wrists, indicating that they were probably best friends or in some kind of clique. Somehow, the black one struck a chord with Cindy. She looked really familiar, but she couldn't remember why. She one took one look at Cindy and gave her a very impolite look. Cindy shot back with a facial expression that had "What the fuck are you lookin' at, bitch?" written all over it.

All further exchanging of dirty looks were ceased by the coach as she pointed to Cindy and said,

"Yo. State your name, kid."

"U-um, Cindy McPhearson." She said quickly.

"Hi, Cindy!" said every student in unison. If Cindy didn't know any better she could have sworn they were clones or something…

"My name's LaQuisha. Everyone around here calls me 'Peaches,' though." LaQuisha was a fairly light skinned black girl with brown hair and green/hazel eyes. She had a beauty mark under her right eye and was a tad bit on the chunky side. "Nice to meet you, Cindy."

"'Peaches?' They should be callin' you "Piggy!"

A dark-skinned boy with a Geri curl that would have put Michael Jackson to shame and those same eyes ran up laughing.

"SHUT UP, DAVONTE!!!" The said 'Piggy put the boy in a chokehold. "And this is my stupid"-punch-"brother"-punch- "DaVonte."

"Will you two stop already?" an annoyed boy walked up. He was an exact replica of DaVonte except his hair was longer and a lot wilder.

"Oh, but he started it, Eric!!" said Peaches, who buried her fist in DaVonte's head.

-TWEEEEEEEEEEET-

"Ok, you lazy bums, since we got a newbie here, you guys can rest for the rest of the period. Cindy, remember to bring a white T-shirt and shorts for this class. All right, y'all are dismissed."

Everyone went to go change, broke into his or her own separate groups and began to chat amongst themselves.

"…So who are those girls over there with the pigtails?" said Cindy. "'Cause that Black one is about to catch one right upside her head..."

"Oh, them?" said Peaches, pouting. "They're…"

"The drill team," said DaVonte and Eric in unison, in dreamy voices making goo-goo eyes at the girls.

"More like the slut team," said Peaches, pointing down her throat. "Seriously, have they heard of CLOTHES?" She said, referring to fact that the three girls wore nothing but pink spaghetti-strapped tops, blue jean shorts and pink and white Adidas. "That black one's name is Daneisha, the Mexican's name is Maya, and that Chinese one is Julie. They call themselves DMJ. Go figure."

_Daneisha?_ Cindy thought to herself. _Why does that name sound so familiar?_

Peaches continued. "Daneisha's the president of the Esco Fan Club. They're supposedly dating now. Anyway, you can spot them by those ugly-ass scrunchie things around their wrists."

"Esco?" Cindy said, drawing a blank. "Who's that?"

"Oh, he's a friend of mine; I should introduce you two. Ah! There he is now." She added as a tall boy burst through the door.

Cindy gasped.

"Oh, HELL no."

---

Review, please? 3 I'll give you a cookie. :3 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

Cindy grimaced at the person who just burst through the door. It seemed like her luck was just getting worse by the minute.

"Oh, NO. Uh-uh. Nope. Sorry, ain't gonna happen." She quickly turned on her heel and started to walk off in the other direction.

"Huh? Why not? What's wrong?" Peaches was confused. "You haven't even gotten to know him yet. He's a total _sweetie."_

At "sweetie", Cindy stopped dead in her tracks, whirled right around and stared at her. A million thoughts ran through her head. Was this girl serious? Screw serious, was she even SANE? How can she use _him_ and "sweetie" in the same sentence? What is she on? Maybe this guy "Esco" had a twin brother that she didn't know about. Something had to be up because she knew damn well she couldn't be talking about…

"Riley Freeman, late again. You know the drill, that's 5 laps. Get to steppin'," the coach said without even glancing his way.

"Aw come on, Coach Tyler," Riley managed to say between breaths. He could hardly even function after barely making into the gym alive. The second he stepped out the door to come to the gym, he passed by a few of his fan club members, and the end result wasn't pretty. His tank top was half ripped off, his braids were all over the place, and when was left of his shirt was sliding off.

"I can't help it if the hoes love me!" He flashed her a flirty grin. "And I know _you_ do too, so just let a nigga off the hook, aight?

Coach Tyler came up to Riley, pulled what was left of his shirt down so that he was eye level with her and calmly said,

"Freeman, you literally have three seconds to get out there and run those laps before I take my foot and BREAK IT OFF IN YOUR ASS. Get running. NOW." With that, she let go.

Riley was not very happy. In less than three hours' time he had been held at gunpoint and been chased down by a teacher, gotten mercilessly rejected by some crazy girl who _supposedly_ knew who he was, and practically mauled by crazy fangirls.

He opened his mouth to give her a piece of his mind, but then thought better of it. His luck was already going down the drain and he didn't feel like dealing with another crazy bitch.

"Man, whatever." He began to run.

_***Flashback***_

Cindy "Fearsome" McPhearson couldn't be happier. The Tigers had the best record of the season, and she was just about to show the Ball-A-Holics just how fearsome she was.

Standing in front of her was Riley Freeman, the newest addition to the Ball-A-Holics. Cindy smirked. From what she heard about him, this game was going to be a piece of cake. Though she had to admit, he was kind of cute. So what better way to start the game off with some friendly taunting?

"Don't get picked by a girl now! I don't think you want that. _That_ ain't pretty!"

And it all went down hill for Riley from there.

"Got 'em...got 'em…got 'em!"

It was already halftime and Tigers were putting the smack down on the Ball-A-Holics. They were ahead by at least ten points. She grinned. Another victory was in the bag. It wasn't _her_ fault the other team wasn't up on their A-Game.

Tom called a time out. Cindy looked over at Riley, who seemed to be very frustrated. Then she saw Riley quickly look over at her. She used this as an opportunity for a friendly taunt. She put her right hand up to her forehead, form the L-sign and stuck her tongue out. "Loooserr!" she taunted.

Riley fumed and went back to talking to his group. The she heard Granddad say something about hearing some rumor, then Riley smirked and the time-out was over.

The third quarter began. Along with the comebacks.

"Your mama got caught givin' up neck in the bathroom at the Woodcrest Country Club and it wasn't your daddy!"

Cindy was shocked. "What?" Who the hell did he think he was? The nerve of that boy, talking about her mother like that! She tried to regain her composure, but it was too late as Riley had already stolen the ball and scored two points. _That's okay; that was just out of luck._ Cindy thought to herself. _He won't do it again._

But the insults didn't stop there.

"Your mom does crack when no one's looking."

Cindy fumed. "WHO TOLD YOU THAT?!" His plan was working. His team was starting to catch up.

They wound up meeting one last time. Riley smirked. "I heard yo parents gettin' a divorce and they waitin' 'till after your birthday to tell you."

That was the last straw for her as she ran off court crying.

The Ball-A-Holics were catching up at a steady pace. The coach pulled out all the stops and sent Billy Matthews on the court.

Riley took one look at him and laughed.

"Whoa, I'ma take it easy on you, Rain Man," he laughed. "Look y'all, this nigga out here like Forest Gump!"

Billy used this as an opportunity to steal the ball and score another two points. Riley didn't know what hit him. And with that, Billy went on to win the game. Tom's cursing could be heard all across the court. Poor Sarah had to cover Jazmine's ears.

As everyone was leaving, Cindy strolled over to Riley. She smiled. She was only cocky during to game. Hopefully, he didn't take anything she said seriously, and she could really get to know him. "Yo, nice game! I ain't gonna lie, you played pretty good, Reezy!"

However, Riley was still sore from the loss. He scowled at her. "Man, get away from me, bitch."

Cindy frowned. Had she said something wrong? She didn't realized he took it that seriously. She wanted to try and make it up to him. She even went as far as going to his house one day, just for Riley to blow her off.

"You cold as ice, Reezy!" She frowned as she left. But she wasn't going to give up.

**A Few Weeks Later - J. Edgar Hoover Elementary**

"Daneisha, you're so pretty!"

"Girl, you fine!"

"Will you be my Valentine?"

Numerous boys crowded around 10-year old Daneisha Wells as she basked in the glory of being the prettiest girl in class. She looked absolutely cute in her pink, frilly boat neck blouse that fit tightly at the waist and flared out toward the bottom, pink heart necklace, pink hoop earrings, black jeans and matching pink Mary-Janes. Her micro braids were tied in a high ponytail with a pink ribbon.

"Aw, quit it," she grinned. "Y'all makin' me blush. Now, one of y'all go get me a soda." Every male in the room pushed and shoved like animals trying to get to the nearest vending machine.

She smirked. "Hmmm, a bitch could get used to this."

_Click, clack, click._

Cindy sped down the hall, in a huge rush. She would have been early for class had her mom not insisted that she dress up for Valentine's Day. She just wanted to wear just a t-shirt and jeans, but she was forced to wear a white, frilly strapless dress with a red belt with a heart buckle at the waist, a red-cropped jacket over it, red heart earrings, red heels and her hair was done up in some pageant style updo. It wasn't really her style to be girly, but hopefully she could catch Riley's eye. She hadn't had the chance to properly apologize to Riley. Every time she tried to, he blew her off. That nigga sure knew how to hold a grudge.

Finally, she arrived the door of her class, only to be met by a certain group of boys. Their eyes met hers, and sparks flew…

"…What's taking so long with my soda?!" Daneisha was impatient. She stormed outside. To her horror, she saw the group crowding around someone else! It was some white girl. She was in her class, but she'd never seen her in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt. All she did in her spare time was play basketball.

_That's that McPhearson girl!_ Daneisha thought.

"Wow, Cindy, you look pretty!!"

"Dang, I ain't never noticed how cute you were 'til now."

"Forget that other girl, I want _you_ to be my Valentine!"

The crowd of boys showered her with compliments. Cindy blushed. She wasn't used to this, nor was she even trying to get this kind of attention. She was trying to get to class. Plus, she had her sights set on Riley.

"Heelllooo!! Where the fuck is my soda?!?" Daneisha yelled, getting everyone's attention. Every look of enthusiasm on the boys' faces fell as Daneisha mad her presence known. She came up one of them. He had a paper bag complexion and curly black hair.

"Brandon! I'm thirsty! Where's my soda?"

Brandon gave her a dirty look. "Get you own soda, bitch.

Daneisha stood there in utter shock. This girl had just upstaged her!

Cindy recognized her. She knew who she was but couldn't remember her name. Nonetheless, she smiled and tried to make small talk. "Yo, homegirl! Nice outfit!" She was still the same person underneath the fancy clothes.

But Daneisha wasn't having it. She snarled, "You better watch your back, _Whitey."_ She turned and stormed off.

_***End Flashback***_

"Ugh! Who does that white bitch think she is?! Lookin' at me like she got a problem! It's bad enough she gotta come back and steal my shine _again!"_ Daneisha fumed as Maya ran a brush through her hair. "Girl, I swear, I'm like TWO seconds away from going over there and snappin her ass in two!" She didn't have to put up with that girl coming back and upstaging her a second time. The first time still haunted her. Now, she was known schoolwide for her bad temper, and getting revenge was her favorite hobby next to putting bitches in their place. She was about to put it to use. _Good_ use. "Huh, you'd think she would have learned the first time."

"Ooohh, I know, girl, and you know what? You should do it during lunch where everyone can see." Maya just added fuel to the fire. In all honesty, she couldn't stand Daneisha—and could really have cared less about her situation with Cindy—but Daneisha was popular, and Maya was willing to do, say, or wear anything to get in good with anyone popular, even if it meant putting up with Daneisha's attitude. "That'll show that bitch. NOBODY crosses DMJ and gets away with it…!"

Julie held a mirror in one hand and used the other hand to primp. Looking as good as she did took lots of time. She had to make sure she looked perfect at all times. She started to experiment with her hair to see what style was good for today.

"…Yeah, I'ma show that bitch a thing or two! Ain't that right, Julie?"

Silence.

"Julie!"

Nothing.

"_BITCH, ANSWER ME!"_

"Wha-? Huh? ….Oh, um, yeah, show that bitch…right." She went back to primping.

Daneisha gave her a dirty look and Maya slapped her forehead. Sometimes they wondered why they even put up with her.

**2nd Period**

"…Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorn." The teacher read aloud to the class. "If love be rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking and you beat love down..."

Huey sat at his desk and stared at the contents of the balled up piece of paper in disbelief, trying to comprehend the contents on it.

_Jazmine was in love with him. What…the…hell._

He glanced over at her, a couple rows over. She was paying close attention and seemed to be very smitten with the message.

He felt a warm sensation on his cheeks. He'd known Jazmine for quite some time, and could honestly say he cared about her. She was one of the few people he could actually trust, and she wasn't that bad looking. Realizing his heart's reaction, he immediately frowned, letting his mind's reaction set in. He _did_ like her—he actually enjoyed her company when she wasn't talking to him about petty things—but he wasn't quite sure if he was ready to take it to the next level, and half the time the girl didn't know her head from a hole in the ground, and the last thing he needed to deal with was another idiot. He already had one for a brother.

"Now, using this, I want you all break into groups and discuss what you think those quotes mean." The teacher went on. "You can pick your own groups as long as there's no more than five people. Towards the end of the period, one person from each group will come up and represent their group."

Huey sighed and put the note under his folder. He would deal with this later.

Hiro and Caesar took their seats by Huey.

"Yo!" Caesar took a seat by his friend.

"Sup," said Hiro.

"Hey," Huey replied, acknowledging them both.

"Um…c-can me and my friend join your group?" said a voice behind them. "All the other groups are full." The three boys turned to see that it belonged to Jazmine. Huey felt an awkward feeling grow inside him. The note had already thrown him for a loop, and just the fact that Jazmine was around wasn't making it any easier. He opened his mouth to say something, but Caesar had already blurted out,

"Sure, we don't mind, as long as your friend is a dime. So where she at? " He grinned and licked his lips. Caesar _loved_ the ladies, and he welcomed any opportunity to talk to a cute girl…as long as it wasn't…

"Oh, Caaaeeeeeeesar!!!" The shrill, whiny voice was easily recognizable. Caesar's eyes widened as he felt two arms wrap around him, nearly squeezing the life out of him. Make no mistake, Caesar _did _love the ladies. The _sane_ ones. The ones whom he didn't have to worry about waking up from a really good night with another girl and seeing them scowling at him through his window with a butter knife. Maya hadn't spoken to him since.

Jazmine offered an apologetic smile while Caesar glared at her. "You owe me," was written all over his face.

"I _missed_ you, papi!" She chirped, letting her hands go wherever they pleased, up his shirt, down his pants, it didn't matter. "So, what's my big strong _man_"-she put major emphasis on the word man—"got up his sleeve today? _Hmmmm_?"

"Anita!" Caesar cringed, trying to break free, but failing miserably. "Get….off me…! I am NOT your man!"

Anita pouted. "But that's not what you said last night, papi! Especially after all the nasty things you did to me, I'm surprised you're here…!"

"What the hell?! I _never_ did anything to you! Quit lying, you psycho!!"

"Oh, but you did! And it was _good…"_

"SO, anyone have any idea what these quotes are about?" Hiro frantically said, trying to change the subject. Everyone knew where their conversation was going, and frankly, no one wanted to hear it.

"_Loooooove,"_ Anita swooned, putting Caesar in an even tighter grip.

Hiro frowned, Huey planted his face in his palm and Jazmine just stared at them.

This was going to be a long day.

Cindy sat in her 2nd period class, unable to concentrate. The same image kept going through her head. They just kept playing over and over…

***Flashback***

Cindy was on her way out of school. She'd gotten heaps of Valentine's Day cards from just about every boy in school…except Riley. She was just about to head home when she heard someone say,

"Cindy!"

Cindy barely had enough time to turn around before she felt someone knock her into the dirt. Surprised, she looked up.

It was another group of boys, and leading them was Riley. And he was MAD.

"So, you out here callin' people "gay ass niggas" now?!" He yelled.

"Riley! I've been looking all over for…wait, _what?!?"_ His words began to register, and Riley and his friends all crowded around her.

"Don't try and act stupid, bitch! You ain't slick! Daneisha told me everything! About how I'm a "gay ass nigga" and everybody in the Lethal Interjection Crew is gay!" He clenched his fists.

Cindy was confused. She dusted off her dress and got up. "W-what are you talking about? I've been looking for you all day…!"

He cut her off. "W-Why, so you can say it to my face? Just cause you beat a nigga at a game of basketball, you think you can say whatever the fuck you want!" His voice rose with every word. "_**WELL, I AIN'T GAY!!!"**_

"Riley, I never said anythi—"

_Wap._

She never even saw it coming. The blow that sent her cards flying everywhere and her spiraling back to the dirt was followed by countless more. Riley's friends got in on the action too.

"Bitch!"

"Take this, honkee!"

The names kept coming as they kicked her and punched her. One even spat at her.

"Whore!"

"Cracker!"

Cindy curled herself into a ball, holing her knees to her chest to protect herself. "Stop it!!" She cried out. "I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up, bitch!" She felt someone jam their foot into her back. She felt tears well up in her eyes. The pain was too much. It seemed like the name-calling and punching lasted for hours.

She tried to get up only to be knocked to the ground again. Tears streamed down her bruised face. But Riley wasn't done yet.

"Daneisha told me all about how much you "like me" and how you wanted to be friends wit me. Lemme tell you somethin'. I. DON'T. LIKE. YOU." He hissed. "You ain't nothin', and you ain't never gonna be one of us!" He planted his foot in the dirt, the quickly raised it up, and left leaving dirt all over her.

Long after they left, Cindy just laid there. She couldn't understand why this had happened. She hadn't said anything to anyone. And who was Daneisha?

One thing was certain. They all hated her. Why? She didn't know. All she wanted to do was make a friend, but wound up making a bunch of enemies, and she had no idea how she did it. She looked around. Her cards were everywhere. Her hair was messy and her outfit was dirty, her dress was ripped, and she was covered in bruises. She looked off in the distance to see a couple of kids passing, by pointing and laughing.

She felt ashamed to be seen like this. She did the only thing she could think of at the moment: she grabbed her backpack and ran home.

If she had anyone to talk to, she had her mother.

***End Flashback**

"You know, I still don't get what you have against Riley," Peaches said, as she sat next to her. Somehow, their schedules were exactly the same.

Cindy turned to her, slightly irritated. "You wanna know what I have against that motherfucker? Do you _really_ want to know why I can't stand his ass?"

Peaches nodded.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, she told her everything.

Lunchtime finally came.

Huey couldn't take it anymore. He had to confront her.

"Jazmine."

"Yeah?" The mulatto girl quickly turned around. It wasn't often he wanted to talk to _her._ Most of the time she had to scream at him to get him to look her way.

"We need to talk."

_**A/N: Ending my chapters on a cliffy…this is beginning to become a habit. xD Review plz! 3**_


End file.
